Dimensions / Industrial & logistics / Semi-truck trailers / Reefer
A 53 ft reefer has the same 53′ × 102.36″ × 13′6″ shell as a dry van but less room inside: Hyundai’s ThermoTech is 52′ 2″ × 97.4″ × 105.5″ and 3,722 cu. ft., against 101.5″ × 110″ and 4,070 cu. ft. for its composite dry van. The difference is insulation: 4″ in the front wall, 3″ in the rear doors and 2″ in the sides, floor and roof. Load for airflow: Thermo King wants at least 300 mm between the top of the load and the ceiling and 50 mm to the walls, and the trailer pre-cooled. The EU and China allow refrigerated bodies 2.60 m wide against 2.55 m for other vehicles; the US has one 102 in limit.
| Inside, Hyundai ThermoTech 53 ft | Air space: top of load to ceiling; load to walls (Thermo King) | Width limit, refrigerated bodies, EU and China; other vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| 15,900 × 2,474 × 2,680mm52′ 2″ × 97.4″ × 105.5″ | 300mm50 mm | 2.60m2.55 m |
Sources: Hyundai Translead, Thermo King, Directive 96/53/EC. Checked October 2026.
Hyundai’s ThermoTech, Thermo King’s air spaces and an example load of 48 × 40 pallets are filled in. Enter your pallets; each check uses the numbers on this page.
Sizes in millimetres, weights in kilograms (1 in = 25.4 mm, 1 ft = 304.8 mm, 1 lb = 0.4536 kg). Pallets go in straight columns, either way round. The GVWR is the trailer’s own rating; the whole rig has its own legal limit.
Stacked 1 high the load stands 1700 mm; keeping 300 mm of air space under the 2680 mm roof leaves room for 2380 mm.
Thermo King: keep at least 300 mm between the top of the load and the ceiling, even double stacked, and never load to the ceiling.
Keeping 50 mm from the walls leaves 15800 × 2374 mm of floor, room for 27 pallets of 1219 × 1016 mm; 1 high that is 27, enough for your 26.
Thermo King also asks for 50 mm between the load and the walls; that is what drops this reefer from 30 pallet spaces to 27.
26 × 700 kg = 18200 kg of cargo on the 5420 kg trailer makes 23620 kg, 7225 kg under its 30845 kg GVWR.
Hyundai’s 11,950 lbs tare leaves out the reefer unit: add the unit’s weight to the tare before you trust this check.
Shipping chilled or frozen goods? Photograph a loaded pallet, mark its size, weight and carrying temperature in SizeMarker and send it to the buyer.
Mark a photoMakers’ own pages and sheets; the Wabash figures come from a dealer’s repost. Only Hyundai gives every inside dimension.
| Trailer | Inside | Weights, floor and other figures |
|---|---|---|
| Hyundai ThermoTech, 53′53′ 0″ × 102.36″ × 13′ 6″ outside; 3,722 cu. ft. | 52′ 2″ × 97.4″ lining to lining × 105.5″ | Tare 11,950 lbs without the reefer unit; GVWR 68,000 lbs; floor 20,000 lbs |
| Wabash Acutherm, 53′Dealer repost | 97 3/8″ wide; 104 3/4″ high at the front, 104 5/8″ at the rear | GVWR 68,000 lb (30,844 kg); 21,000 lb floor |
| Great Dane Everest | Lengths 28’, 36’, 48’, 53’; widths 96”, 102” | Aluminum duct floor, 16,000 lb |
| Utility 3000R | Foam-in-place, 360-degree insulation | 20,000 lb duct floor, 12" crossmembers |
| Stoughton PureBlue | Single-shot foam | Duct floor 16K or 20K lbs; flat floor 18K or 20K lbs |
| Krone Cool LinerEurope | 13310 × 2460 × 2630 mm | Tare 7630 kg without cooling unit; 39000 kg total |
| Schmitz Cargobull S.KO COOL SMARTEurope | 13.4 m; 2,460 or 2,490mm; 2,350-3,050mm high | 33 Euro pallets |
| Kögel Cool LiteShellEurope | 2,500 mm loading width, for plants | Side walls 62 mm or 47 mm |
Sources: Hyundai Translead · Allegiance (Wabash) · Great Dane · Utility · Stoughton · Krone · Schmitz Cargobull · Kögel
| Point | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Insulation by wallHyundai ThermoTech | Sides, floor and roof 2″; rear door 3″; front wall 4″; injection foamed urethane |
| Insulation by wall, WabashAcutherm, dealer repost | 4″ nose, roof and floor; 2″ sidewall |
| Reefer against dry van, same makerHyundai | 97.4″ × 105.5″ and 3,722 cu. ft., against 101.5″ × 110″ and 4,070 cu. ft. in the composite dry van |
| The unit and length23 CFR 658 App. D; GB 1589-2016 A.3.3.2 | A refrigeration unit at the front of a semitrailer is left out of the measured length, in the US and in China |
| The unit and tareHyundai; Krone | Tare is quoted without it: 11,950 lbs excluding reefer unit; 7630 kg without cooling unit |
Sources: Hyundai Translead · Allegiance (Wabash) · Hyundai Translead · 23 CFR 658 · GB 1589-2016 · Krone
| Rule | What the maker says |
|---|---|
| Top of the loadThermo King | At least 300mm between the top of the load and the ceiling, even double stacked; often shown by a red line on the side walls |
| WallsThermo King | A recommended air gap of 50mm between the load and the walls at all times |
| Do notThermo King | Block the evaporator air inlet, load tight against the unit, walls or doors, load to the ceiling, or obstruct the floor under the cargo |
| Pallet orientationCarrier Transicold | Allow airflow to the rear of the body, through and under the load; do not load up to the ceiling |
| Pre-cool21 CFR 1.908(b)(3); Thermo King | US carriers must pre-cool each refrigerated compartment as the shipper specifies; Thermo King: pre-cool the products and the trailer |
Sources: Thermo King · Thermo King · Carrier Transicold · 21 CFR 1.908
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| EU, conditioned vehiclesDirective 96/53/EC | 2.60 m, against 2.55 m (printed 2,60 m and 2,55 m); side walls at least 45 mm thick including insulation |
| China, refrigerated vehiclesGB 1589-2016 | 2 600 mm, against 2 550 mm |
| US23 CFR 658.15 | One limit for all: 102 inches |
| ThermoTech inside in mmOur conversion | 15,900 × 2,474 × 2,680 mm; 11,950 lbs = 5,420 kg |
| With the air spacesOur calculation | Floor 15,800 × 2,374 mm: 27 pallets of 48 × 40, against 30 without the gaps; load up to 2,380 mm high |
Sources: Directive 96/53/EC · GB 1589-2016 · 23 CFR 658 · Hyundai Translead
Hyundai’s ThermoTech is 52′ 2″ long, 97.4″ wide lining to lining and 105.5″ high, 3,722 cu. ft. A Wabash Acutherm is 97 3/8″ wide and 104 3/4″ high at the front (dealer figures).
Insulation: Hyundai foams 2″ into the sides, floor and roof, 3″ into the rear door and 4″ into the front wall, so its reefer is 97.4″ × 105.5″ inside against 101.5″ × 110″ for its dry van.
At least 300 mm between the top of the load and the ceiling, even double stacked, and 50 mm to the walls (Thermo King). Carrier Transicold: do not load up to the ceiling, or the air short-cycles.
In the EU and China, yes: 2.60 m for refrigerated bodies, against 2.55 m for other vehicles; EU walls must be at least 45 mm thick including insulation. The US has one 102 inch limit.
Often not: Hyundai quotes 11,950 lbs excluding the reefer unit and Krone 7630 kg without the cooling unit. Add the unit before you work out the payload.
Buyers of chilled and frozen goods ask for the carrying temperature, how many pallets fit a reefer once air space is left, how high each pallet may be stacked, and whether the pallets let air pass under and through them. Mark the real pallet, its size and weight on your own photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
